M10: Meanwhile in Aether...
“My dearest Tara, I hope that all is well in Aether. Surrounded by strangers in this island nation, I find my thoughts returning to home, and to you. This is not what I wanted for our honeymoon, not by a long shot, and I am truly sorry for leaving you alone on our wedding night. There is no telling when I will be back. The ruling powers here are an odd bunch, bickering amongst themselves, some even outright hating each other, and we are finding it difficult to mend these deep wounds. Not to mention the traitor running amok behind the scenes; you know personally how dangerous those can be. But I do not tell you this to worry you – only to press upon you the need for patience, as I do this not for glory but to protect you and all that I love. With all my thoughts and heart, Alaric.”'' ''Gaius looked up from the wrinkled parchment, lifting a second sheet. : There’s another letter for me, but Lord Alaric wrote those words for you. : Good for him. : Doesss he say when he’ll be back in your letter, any specificsss? : No, unfortunately. But remember, my lady, the situation is delicate– : Well, pardon usss for distracting him from his task so much that he feelsss the need to write usss! : (waving her tail tip dismissively) You can give the note to Maeve, she’ll handle it for now. : (clapping his scythe-arms together) But don’t you want to… I don’t know… write back? : Write back – to him?! : Oh Gaiusss, how ridiculousss! : I didn’t think it was… : No sweat, Sir Bugs-a-lot. : I’ll make sure she replies to th’ letter – and wit’ a good attitude too. Gaius placed the parchment in Maeve’s paw before peering up at his scowling queen and lowered his voice to a whisper. : Good luck. : Thanks, I’ll need it. Gaius gave a quick bow to the serpent on the throne then backed out of the room, skimming the contents of his own letter. As the double doors closed, Maeve whirled and glowered at Tara. : Oh don’t give me that look. : I have a right to be upset at him. : ’Course you did – weeks ago! – but Tara, it’s time t’ give it a rest! Yeah, Alaric was a turd for hidin’ all t’at stuff from ya, but right now, Aether needs ya on your A-game. : I have been on my ‘A-game.’ : Things are running smoothly in Aether, but that doesssn’t mean I can’t be crossss with him! : Or misss him… Maeve laid the letter on the arm of the throne. : Then tell ‘im – tell ‘im what a jerk he is and t’at you want ‘im home. Tara glanced at the letter, stroking her husband’s signature with her tail… before flinging the letter across the room. : No! I will not act the humble housewife! If he wants my forgivenessss, he will have to beg for it! The Pancham rushed for the letter, scooping it off the floor. : But Tara–! She was gone, slithering off the throne and storming off out the back door, disappearing into the castle. : Great, now what can I do? : Tara’s stubbornness is really outta control. Folding the letter in half, Maeve pocketed it, making a mental note to put it on Tara’s desk in her study. : I mean, really? : Not even replying to his letter, t’at’s cold! Only other ‘mon I know of t’at can get t’at angry is her da– Maeve stopped and snapped her fingers. : Yeah, t’at’s it! She rushed to get a messenger bird. If she hurried there’d be just enough time. ---- The Kricketune waited until the double doors shut before turning and going down the hall, reading and walking at the same time: Gaius, By the time you get this letter, we will have been in Sazanami for quite some time – longer than either of us had anticipated. I wish I could say that Gawain and I will be returning soon, but I’m afraid we have barely begun the task of preparing Sazanami for Gāng Tiě’s invasion. Seems Dracul was right about the depth of the problem in these nations… Our journey here was eventful, to say the least. Many of us were kidnapped the second we stepped foot in the country, and we had to escape the dungeon of one of the warlords before we could even speak with the others. After a little get-together, the citizens were able to investigate the other warlords, and we decided on three warlords to work with. Perhaps you can find some information on the Onoue, Umezawa, and Hashira families in the library? In fact, anything you can find in the library, especially regarding a legendary city called Yamatai, would be very helpful; that name kept appearing in our discussions with the warlords, and there’s no telling if such information could assist us in our cause. Also, I should tell you: Bon is here. You probably figured that out, since he’s not in the jail cell in Aether. But he’s not the only one who snuck his way here: Nicholas is here too. He’s with Bon, having arrived in Sazanami on the same boat… and I believe I may be at fault for his newfound rebellious nature. I didn’t hold my temper well when I first realized he’d come to the island… but now’s not the time. Now we are busy working for these three warlords, and I hope that what we do will help make Sazanami stronger. I look forward to hearing what information you can dig up. ''-Alaric'' P.S. Make sure Tara reads the letter I wrote for her. : Oh, she read it alright, sire. : But I don’t think it went over as well as you’d hoped. : Don’t think what went over well? The advisor looked up; Jackson was floating in front of him, head tilted at a curious angle. : Ah, hello, Jackson. It’s just a letter that Lord Alaric wrote for the queen. : Still hot under the royal collar, huh? Jackson sniggered. : Not surprised~ : Hmm… but still, there is much more to be concerned about besides Tara being mad at Alaric. His efforts in Sazanami are not going as smoothly as we would’ve hoped. The Gengar shrugged his lumpy shoulders. : Again, are you really that shocked? If the guys that run Sazanami now are like the ones that ruled in my day, ooh boy, Alaric will have his work cut out for him! He paused, tapping his chin in thought. : Except for that one guy, the first Emperor, he was alright. And the Sun Queen, she was pretty cool too. : Sun Queen? Gaius’ antennae quivered. : Who was that? : Ruler of Yamatai, gosh, where have you been? : Oh, right, in some other continent, ha! : Yes, well, did you ever write any of that information down? : Oh sure, it’s all in the library. Under ‘Y’ for Yamatai. : Or maybe ‘S’ for Sun Queen, not sure. The bug hummed, folding the note in half and slipping it inside his vest. : Seems like I have some researching to do. If you need me, I’ll be in the library. He started to head for the library but stopped in mid-step. : Oh, and if you could let Charles know that Prince Nicholas is alright, I would greatly appreciate it. He’s in Sazanami – with the prisoner. Jackson kicked backward, floating on his back with arms crossed behind his head. : You mean that froggy guy? Huh, how weird, wonder how he got to Sazanami? : Gee, I wonder. : Don’t get your wings in a twist, I’ll let Chuck know where the prince went. Gaius nodded and headed deeper into the palace, hoping to discover some information on the past that could help his king… ---- Jackson watched Gaius wander away, offering him a little wave. Back-flipping into a shadow on the floor, he instantly teleported to Prince Nicholas’ room – where a Chatot was pacing back and forth, feathers flying as he yanked them out in a panic. : Oh no, no, this is TERRIBLE! Prince Nicholas, where have you gone?! The Gengar swallowed a laugh – he couldn’t resist – and cleared his throat. : Where’s who gone? Darwing squawked, leaping a foot in the air. : Oh-ohh, Jackson, it’s you. The small bird breathed with relief, holding a wing to his chest. : You scared me. : That’s what we ghosties do~ : But hey, so you’re worried ‘bout Nic, right? The Chatot gripped at his heart. : Indeed – he disappeared so suddenly, and without telling me, or taking me WITH him! : I do hope that he’s alright. : I dunno, he IS just a kid. Anything could’ve happened to him! : That’s true! He could be hurt! Jackson fought the urge to grin, instead slapping a serious frown over his face. : Sure would explain why he hasn’t contacted you. And – gasp! – you know what? : What? : WHAT?! : Maybe that frog got him! The tutor blanched, nervously plucking at his collar. : Ohhhhh, you’re right, you’re RIGHT! I think, I t-think… ohhh, I’m gonna be sick… : Hey, not on the carpet. Jackson swooped forward, patting Darwing on the back. : Don’t want to make Anna mad, do you? ---- Anna jerked, ears folding back over her head. : Ever get that feeling someone’s talking about you behind your back? Dac shook his head (which was essentially his entire body). : Not really. But, ya know, if they talked behind my back how would I know they were talking behind my back? : Right. The Cinccino sighed, slapping her cheeks lightly. : Okay, back to work. Next up is the prince’s room. : Um, Anna, if he’s not here, how would it get dirty? : Heck if I know. All these rooms get dirty, whether anyone’s using them or not. The Spewpa shuffled along beside Anna, casting an anxious glance around. : D-Do you think it could be the g-ghosts? Jackson says there’s s-spooks in the castle. Anna raised a brow. : Ghosts? There are no ghosts in the castle – besides Jackson – which means nothing is gonna– : AUUUGGGH! : !!! Dac hopped behind Anna who took a reflexive step backward. Something ran wildly out of the prince’s room – a feathered blur who disappeared around the corner – and Jackson bobbed out of the room with a loud cackle, dropping into the floor and vanishing from sight. : Oh man, looks like Jackson is up to his old tricks again. : C’mon, Dac, let’s go calm Charles down before he hurts himself… It took ten minutes to track the bird down (no thanks to Dac’s lack of legs), but finally they cornered Darwing outside the queen’s study. He was muttering to himself, practically molting all of his feathers, and Anna used her tail to brush all his loose feathers against the wall to sweep up later. : Hey, Charles, whatever you’re freaking out about, don’t. It’s not good for the floors. : Anna! Dac scooted closer to Darwing, squinting up at the brightly coloured bird. : What’s wrong, Mr. Darwing? The Chatot took a deep breath, peering down at Dac. : Oh, poor Nicholas. Milord is in danger, and I have no idea where he is! : I’m sure he’s fine. : He’s a prince, trained by Gawain himself. He can take care of himself. : But what of his STUDIES! He may be fine physically, but mentally? His mind is getting STAGNANT! Dac pursed his lips in thought then edged slightly closer to Darwing. : Maybe… maybe you can teach me instead? Darwing’s beak dropped. : Pardon? YOU wish to learn – from ME? : Well, sure! I’ve never gotten any education before, and I know you know lots of different things, and maybe it will make you happy to have someone to teach while the prince is away! : Hmm, not a horrible idea… Darwing rubbed the back of his head, feathers finally falling back to their appropriate place. : Alright, I will take you on as my temporary student – but only if your superior is okay with it. Dac rotated, shrinking into himself… but Anna just shrugged. : Eh, I do all the work around here anyway. : Go ahead, learn something, Dac. The Spewpa shivered with delight, his fluff spreading outward. : Oh, thanks, Anna! What are you gonna teach me first, Mr. Darwing? : Never thought I’d have such an eager student; come, young Didacus, your first lesson will be in Aetherian history -- (walking with Dac at his side and offering a bow to Queen Tara as she passed by) -- and we’ll start with the time before… ---- Tara tuned out Darwing’s lesson to the Spewpa servant on her way to her study, nodding slightly at Anna who curtseyed and left to get a broom to sweep up some feathers on the floor. Hurrying into the small room, she went straight for the large oaken desk, looking for something to do some angry doodles on. Nothing there, though. Nothing except… a letter. She stared and blinked at Alaric’s letter. Yeah, she could draw on that maybe. That would show him, that would teach him… right? : Won’t bring him back. Won’t make you less sad. Won’t fix anything. The Shiny Arbok opened a desk drawer with her tail and pushed the letter into it. Perhaps the best thing to do now is to ignore the – : Tara! (running into the study) Tara, hurry, ya gotta get goin’! : Going? (turning towards Maeve) What are you talking about? : C’mon, hurry up, he’s not gonna wait for’ver! : Stop shovin’ – who’ssss he? : Your father, ‘course! A Shiny Seviper sat coiled in the hall. : Hello, Tara. : Daddy! Tara slithered to her father, wrapping herself around him in a hug. : You’re here, I can’t believe it – and you look good! Ness chuckled, returning his daughter’s embrace. : Glad to sssee you too, dear. And I agree: retirement from the Ard Rí position hasss done wondersss for my complexion. : But why are you here? Who contacted you? : T’at’d be me. Maeve offered a paw in a wave. : I knew only a snake king could bring ya outta your funk, and with one indisposed, I turned to the other one. : Yesss, when your serv – I mean, friend – sent the letter, I knew I had to come quickly. Ness put his tail around Tara’s shoulder. : Let’sss go for a ride in the forest. Tara followed her father – and an hour later, they were riding their respective steeds along a peaceful path in the woods that had previously been affected by a haunted tree. Ness and his Stantler led the way, followed by Tara and her Sawsbuck, and they chatted aimlessly for a bit, mainly about his frequent visits with Bran. : Now that I’m done with the court, Bran and I have really ssstarted to get along. You would never guessss that he had wanted to kill me monthsss ago! : I’m glad that you’re adjusssting well to life without royal dutiesss. : Well, frankly I’m just happy I wasss able to keep the fortresssss, ha! The ex-monarch tugged on the reins, moving his steed back to ride beside Tara. : But I hear that you aren’t adjusting as well. : Hmm, I mussst do something about Maeve’sss big mouth. : I’m seriousss, dear. Tell me what you’re feeling. : Honestly? I… I’m feeling betrayed. I missss him more than I can say, my heart is breaking at the thought of losing him forever, but I’m also angry at him for leaving me here, in a new kingdom, to run it completely on my own. I know that it’sss the job of the queen to rule in her husband’sss stead, but… She folded her hood against the side of her face, hiding her wet eyes. : Did I make a mistake? Ness shook his head. : Impossssible. You’re my daughter. : Daddy– : Let me finish. Tara, you came to Aether on my command, never expecting to fall in love. Yet here you are, married to a noble and just king. Yesss, he could have handled the situation better, but in the end, aren’t you proud to be sharing a life with such a kind ‘mon? … Heavensss know I never showed you such kindnessss. He grinned wryly, reaching across empty space to lay his tail tip on Tara’s shoulder. : So I think it’sss about time you show the same kindnessss to him, don’t you? Tara lifted her head towards the sky, feeling the sunlight shine through the forest canopy onto her face. : I… I guessss I can. : That’sss my girl. We should get back. : Yes, we should. I have a letter to write. Category:Missions Category:Arc 1 Category:Meanwhiles